FEDERAL JOBS LEGISLATION MUST HAVE LOCAL IMPACT, SAY CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS

Washington, DC—February’s unemployment numbers, arriving on the heels of a $15 billion bill passed by the House of Representatives to jumpstart hiring, emphasize the need to reach the hardest-hit neighborhoods and communities with job opportunities, according to NCLR (National Council of La Raza)—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—and the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs (AFOP). The most recent unemployment data came as a reminder of the extreme unemployment among minority workers, with 12.4% of Latinos and 15.8% of Blacks unemployed, compared to 9.7% of the labor force overall. The House bill would provide payroll tax relief through the rest of the year to employers who hire new workers.

http://www.nclr.org/content/news/detail/62037/

[Posted by: Araceli Vazquez]